We can end the housing crisis. Now is the time to be brave.
Dan Simpson is a researcher for the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Housing Commission
The housing crisis is the result of half a century of issues. It affects people up and down the country, and it’s the result of mistakes made by all political parties. This makes it seem impossible to solve, but the Archbishop of Canterbury doesn’t think that’s the case, if we all work together. That’s why he brought together academics, housing experts and theologians in his Commission on Housing, Church and Community. I’m going to tell you a bit about it, and I’ll explain how you can help.
‘To reimagine Britain we must reimagine housing. The first form of reimagining is to reclaim the purpose of housing. Housing exists as a basis for… human flourishing.’ - Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury
These words ring especially true right now. In a spacious house, lockdown is a mild inconvenience. Elsewhere, there are homes where five children are sharing beds, without the usual respite of school. Those with gardens can have street parties. Meanwhile, in temporary accommodation some families can only have hot meals a few days a week, because there’s a rota for the use of their shared kitchen. Public health experts now believe that those in poor quality housing are more at risk from coronavirus.
1) Open your eyes to the housing issues all around you. Read our blog from Stephen Timms MP on what his constituents are facing right now.
To make up for this monumental injustice, we need to build a values-based housing sector. The Commission’s values are informed by the Bible and inspired by the problems people are facing and relevant to everyone. The Bible narrative is about longing for a stable earthlyhome, a refuge that mirrors our eternal home with God. When we’ve asked people what they want home to be, those same images come up. But right now, we’re not achieving that.
2) Pray for those who currently do not have a refuge. Pray for all those working to address this.
To build a values-based sector, the Commission’s working to secure a consensus. Our housing system was at its best when there was a shared understanding of why quality housing is important. The first council homes in this country were built by a Tory council, and a Tory prime minister, Harold Macmillan called social housing the ‘first social service’. Once we have that shared vision again, the economy is a tool which we can use to give people the homes they deserve, not an end in itself.
3) Talk to your MPs, councillors and fellow party members about what home means to them. When the Commission’s report comes out, ask them how they are going to respond.
4) Change how you speak about housing. Shift the debate from economics to what homes and communities should be.
As churches, we can make a real difference on housing and homelessness. We’re sometimes not brave enough, though - we believe that we can only react to homelessness through schemes like night shelters. Churches can also prevent people becoming homeless. We’ve got a historic opportunity right now: rough sleeping has suddenly been almost eliminated. With night shelters also difficult right now due to risk of infection, we need to focus on preventing homelessness.
5) Be brave. Think about how your church can respond to homelessness in the new normal.
The Commission is working to help you to seize the moment. Keep an eye out for more resources coming from us, but the first step is seeing what’s possible. Churches are already responding to local housing need, but it’s often not being talked about enough. The variety of approaches being taken shows that there’s something which almost every church could do. There are churches providing tenancy deposits to get people into a home, acting as advocates to stop them getting evicted, providing supported accommodation to end the cycle of homelessness, and campaigning for affordable housing.
6) Take inspiration from what churches are already doing, by checking out our case studies.
If we can almost end rough sleeping over night, we can end the housing crisis, but this will only work if we all work together. What’s your role going to be?
7) [Bonus] If you want to find out more about the Commission, visit our website, and if you want to keep up to date, join our mailing list.
